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Poor Girls Do It With “Fin-Ness”

OCEAN CITY- The 17th Annual Captain Steve
Harman Poor Girls Open fishing tournament last weekend was once again a huge
success with plenty of boats and hundreds of lady anglers participating, dozens
of billfish released and quite a few weighed at the scale at host Bahia Marina,
and most importantly, thousands of dollars raised for breast cancer research
and awareness.

With the high dollar, high profile White Marlin Open
dispensed with the week before, the lady anglers got their turn in the
spotlight last weekend with the return of the annual Poor Girls Open. After a
relatively slow start on Thursday when just 22 of the registered 79 boats
fished, followed by an even slower Friday, when just four boats ventured out,
the tournament reached a crescendo by Saturday, the last official fishing day.

The tournament, which typically falls on the weekend after
the White Marlin Open, was founded in 1994 by the late Captain Steve Harman and
his wife Pam to a provide a ladies-only fishing event with the proceeds donated
to a local charity. In recent years, the American Cancer Society has been the
recipient of choice in conjunction with other “pink ribbon” events held in and
around the resort area all year long.

Last weekend, 79 boats and 361 lady anglers participated
with thousands in prize money doled out to the winners in several categories.
The big winner, however, was the American Cancer Society, which once again
received a big check from the tournament. Despite its charitable overtones, the
tournament is still all about fishing and this year’s event produced some
remarkable results in both the billfish release and meatfish categories.

The big story this year was the team of lady anglers on
the “Fin-Ness,” which took first place in the billfish release division with 10
white marlin releases and was awarded the tournament’s top prize of $27,275.
The “Fin-Ness” crew also swept first, second and third place in the tuna
division and first and third place in the dolphin division.

In the release division, it was the “Fin-Ness” taking
first with 10 white marlin releases worth $27,275, while the “Samurai” was
second with four white releases worth $16,365, and the “Playmate” was third,
also with four white marlin releases, worth $10,930. The “Samurai” and the
“Playmate” occupy adjacent slips at the Ocean City Fishing Center and the tie
for second was broken by an earlier last release time, creating a stir in the
marina for the familiar rivals.

In the tuna division, it was all “Fin-Ness” as the crew
swept to top three spots. Angler Kim Willey caught a 76.5-pounder worth $5,657,
while Jessica Hill caught a 68.2-pound tuna worth $2,794 and Allyson Airey
caught a 66-pounder worth $1,863.

The “Fin-Ness” crew also dominated the dolphin division,
taking and first and third place. Angler Wendy McCabe took first with a
43.5-pound dolphin worth $5,927, angler Chrissy Jamogochian on the “No Worries”
took second with a 27-pounder worth $2,956, and Kim Willey on the “Fin-Ness”
took third with a 21.4-pounder worth $1,971.